Tips for Designing and Developing Free-to-Play Games

Published April 16, 2015 by Jose Maria Martinez, 'Hafo', posted by hafo
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Free-to-play games, or F2Ps, are one of the types of video games that is currently generating the most business. They're games that are offered free at first to an ever larger audience. These games monetize primarily via advertising, the purchase of virtual goods or powerups within the game itself, or with a combination of both. The way to conceive and plan the design of a free-to-play game is quite different than for other game models, like pay-to-play (or P2P) games for example, which are bought and downloaded with all their content and functionalities already activated. In the case of the F2P games, it's very important to hook the player from the first instant, since the monetization of the game largely depends on how capable we are of making a game attractive enough so that the player will want to repeat the experience many times.

Tips

At WiMi5, we'd like to offer the following tips on how to make your HTML5 games attractive so you can monetize them. Make short game loops

One of the most important parts of a game is the game loop. Basically, this means that all the important game stuff should happen inside that loop. Most of the time, it's everything that is the game itself, excluding other parts of the game, such as menus, optional screens, etc. When we recommend short loops, we mean that you should try to keep each level short, especially at the beginning of the game. This allows the player to quickly see what the game is about, and what types of challenges and rewards they can get. A great example of a short game loop, in this case a super-short loop, is the extremely well-known Flappy Bird.

promotional_image_1400x560-1024x410.jpg Make the game fun

It seems pretty basic, doesn't it? But sometimes you can forget that the game should be about having fun. Each player has their own way of having a good time; for example, some people like to be scared to have good time. For others, having a good time means solving complex mental puzzles. However, in casual games, you usually tend to make the game fun as a formula to make the player have a good time. This fun is in itself a kind of reward so that the player feels more attracted to the game. For example, Matt Coombe, co-founder of Get Set Games, differentiates between several types of fun that we can find in a game like this. So, jumping to catch coins could be fun, but so is finishing a game level, or scoring more points than your friends.

screenshot4_1280x720-1024x576.jpg Make the game never end

Many games are organized by levels, so that the player keeps going up levels that tend to get more complex or that demand the player already has acquired certain skills. There is always the possibility of adding more levels as the players start finishing them off. On occasion, the players may get different scores (normally stars) in the levels depending on whether they played well or poorly. This encourages the player to repeat levels to get better scores. The more time someone is playing your game, the more possibilities there are of your game generating income. Does anyone know how Clash of Clans or Candy Crush end?

Design your game for both the players who want to pay and the players who don't

The players who don't pay are just as important as those who do. They provide many things, for example, they are essential for creating a community where both types of players can exist. What's more, they'll talk about your game, participate in the rankings, and make up the largest part of your game's player community. Therefore, your game should be attractive both to those players who will never spend a cent and to those who pay EUR100 a month. Do not follow the Pay to Win strategy.

portada_1024x576-1024x576.png Make games for everybody

Try to make your game for all audiences. Look for simple mechanics that are apt for less experienced players but which also hook the more demanding players at the same time. Your game should be able to be played by very different audiences who have different gaming experiences depending on the device they use for playing. In this respect, it's very important to carefully choose your platform; try to use as many as possible to reach wider audiences. Thanks to HTML5, this is possible, since it allows your game to be on several platforms, such as mobiles, tablets, PCs, laptops, consoles, or even smartTVs.

Make great graphics And if you don't know how to, and neither does anyone on your team, collaborate with a professional or subcontract an experienced illustrator. Graphics in casual games are everything. They are essential to get people to fall in love at first sight. They make up the first hook that will draw in players and show them the game's basic concept directly and immediately. A simple and intuitive design that is usable by anyone eliminates any obstacles to play, such as not knowing how to play, for instance. A tricky design or an interface that isn't clear and which doesn't instantaneously clarify the game's mechanics adds barriers instead of eliminating them.

Conclusion

These are some of our recommendations, but there are many great tips on the Internet. Here are some interesting links: An analysis of game loops An infograph about the science behind addictive video games (like Candy Crush) An analysis of the fun we can find in a game On the psychology behind addictive video games and this Tips for creating casual games
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Comments

Navyman

Enjoyed the tips.

April 11, 2015 05:14 AM
Buckeye

Overall, an interesting but very light (in content) article.

Some comments:

- I suggest you state in your intro who your intended audience is, and/or what experience or knowledge you assume of your readers.

E.g., "extremely well-known" Flappy Bird - never heard of it. EDIT: that's a bit facetious, but my point is - you're assuming you know who all your readers are.

"Matt Combe" - I have heard of him, but if you're going to use him as an authority to justify statements, provide link(s) to his statement(s), or other info about him.

- Just grammar - either "players have already acquired..." or "player has already acquired..."

- Non-paying players "provide many things..." - what things? Either list some "things" or just delete the phrase "What's more..." that follows.

- "... who have different gaming experiences. In this respect, it’s very important to carefully choose your platform; try to use as many as possible." - not sure how different gaming experiences (ambiguous) relates to coding for multiple platforms. Can you clarify? If you're simply trying to say something about reaching wider audiences, just say something about reaching wider audiences.

- Section "great Graphics" - you relate "accessibility" (ambiguous) and "entry barriers" (what are entry barriers?) to graphics design by stating they should be "intuitive" and "instantaneously clarify ... mechanics." Without examples, or any further explanation, you're pretty much just saying "Go forth and do good." I would expect a little more from an article titled "Tips for Designing and Developing ... "

- general: your use of ambiguous terms and phrases puts up entry barriers and limits accessibility to those who may have different article reading experiences, and who don't understand the mechanics of your article. I.e., "Speak plainly." wink.png

EDIT: minor comment - "keep the match short" - match? A single player game isn't really a "match," as much as a "level" maybe?

April 12, 2015 01:06 PM
hafo

@Nayman, thanks :)

@Buckeye, thank you very much for all this great feedback. I made some changes based on your comments. They have been really useful.

April 13, 2015 09:14 AM
Navyman

Do you have any experience with deep links?

April 13, 2015 12:41 PM
Buckeye

I still find the article a little light in content. However, the title says "Tips" and not "Details."

I think the article will provide useful information for those interested in programming and distributing free-to-play games.

April 13, 2015 02:28 PM
EDI
EDI

I feel that your mention of 'game loops' in the programming sense, and then go on to say you mean completely something else; is kind of out of place.

Why not say 'make short levels'; and leave the term 'game loop' out of it completely to avoid the confusion.

As a side note; while it is probably not in scope of this article; people should realize HTML5 is not just for small/simple games, if I may shamelessly illustrate: http://edigames.com/revelimmortal

April 15, 2015 05:39 PM
hafo

I feel that your mention of 'game loops' in the programming sense, and then go on to say you mean completely something else; is kind of out of place.

Why not say 'make short levels'; and leave the term 'game loop' out of it completely to avoid the confusion.

As a side note; while it is probably not in scope of this article; people should realize HTML5 is not just for small/simple games, if I may shamelessly illustrate: http://edigames.com/revelimmortal

Thanks for your comments EDI,

I mentioned 'game loops' in the designing sense, the article is included in the 'Game design' category. I have changed the 'game loop' reference to another article explaining game loops from a game design point of view.

I totally agree with you HTML5 is not only for small/simple games.

April 16, 2015 09:25 AM
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This article shows some tips on how to make your HTML5 F2P games attractive so you can monetize them via ads, the purchase of virtual goods or any other way. This article is oriented to people who knows what free-to-play games are and also have played 'Flappy Bird' more than once.

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